Concentrating apparatus.



No. 783,221. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

0. B. PERRY.

GONGENTRATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. s. 1903.

2 sunning-sum 1.

PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

0. B. PERRY.

GONOBNTRA'I'ING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. 1903.

2 SHEETS-8HEET 2.

Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT Orricn.

OSCAR BUTLER PERRY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CONCENTRATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,221, dated February21, 1905.

Application filed November 5, 1903. Serial No. 179,909.

To :LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR BUTLER PERRY. a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ConcentratingApparatus; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable Others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates especially to concentrating apparatus forgold-dredging machines, and has for its object to provide an improveddistributing device to be located between the screen and the collectingor saving tables, which distributer is adapted to receive thegold-bearing material from the screen and distribute the same insubstantially equal quantities to the several collecting-tables, so thateach table will receive its proportionate share of the material and theliability to overload any given table is avoided.

In dredgework the gold-bearing material is fed from the maindischarge-hopper to a screening device which screens out the finematerial carrying the gold and discharges the tailings. As the materialis fed on at the upper and forward end of the screening device it isfound that most of the line gold-bearing material passes through arelatively small sectionvia, the first few feet of the screen at theupper end thereofso that practically all of the valuable material isdelivered to the first few collecting-tables only, with the result thatthese tables become overloaded and much of the gold in the material fedto said tables is washed away by the water flowing thereover and islost.

It is the purpose of my invention to avoid this overloading of the firstcollecting-tables and to distribute the material, which passes almostexclusively through the initial portion of the screen, to all of thetables, so that the fine material on any one table is approximatelyequal in quantity and amount of gold contained therein to that on anyother table.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation,

partly in section, of a gold-dredging machine embodying my improveddistributer. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the distributer, illustratingthe manner of connecting the separable sections. Fig. 3 is a plan viewthereof, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the distributer.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the hull of-adredge-boat of any ordinary or preferred construction. The particulardredge illustrated is of the bucket-chain type, in which an endlesschain of excavatingbuckets 3 discharges the material brought'up from thestream-bed into a hopper 2, from which the material is fed to suitablescreening devices, which screen out the fine goldbearing material anddischarge the tailings or waste material into a hopper 6, from which itis taken by a conveyer 7 to the dump or other place of deposit. Thescreening device shown comprises two inclined vibrating screen-sectionst 4, which are constructed and operated in a manner well'known to thoseskilled in the art. Spray-pipes 9, supplied from a pump 8, distributewash-water in suitable quantities to the screen-sections to wash thefine material through the meshes thereof, after which the screenedmaterial is caught upon a series of collecting or saving tables 11 11,the tables being preferably arranged in pairs inclining laterally inopposite directions, as indicated in Fig. 4:, and the pairs of theseries being successively arranged, preferably, in stepped relation, asindicated, in order to bring the various tables in proper relation tothe screens.

- Between the screen-sections i and the collecting-tables 11 is mounteda distributer which receives the fine material from the screens anddelivers the same in substantially equal quantities to the severaltables 11, by means of which the heavy particles of gold are caught andheld in the usual riftles, while body of the section next in the rear.

series of troughs ff, which overlie the several pan-sections preferablyin parallel rows on each side of the basins b b and have their lowerends bent inward to discharge into the individual pan-sections,preferably in proximity to the outlets 0 of the respective basins. It isto be observed that while each pan-section a is substantially horizontalthe several sections forming the series are successively arranged instepped relation, so that the troughsffi which rest upon thepan-sections, are inclined sufficiently to cause the material from thescreens to pass freely along to the discharge ends f f thereof. Eachsection a is formed of sheet iron or steel and is strengthened bysuitable stays and angle-irons. The sections, which are secured end toend in number corresponding to the number of pairs of collecting-tablesto form a distributer extending the entire length of the series oftables,

are joined together by riveting the rearwardlyprojecting ends of theedge stays e e to the The distributer thus formed is a rigid steppedpanlike structure held intermediate the screens 4 4 and the tables 11 11by suitable rods or hangers attached to the supporting-framework fromwhich the screens are suspended.

In order to facilitate the washing operation and the discharge of thegold-bearing material from the pan-sections, each of said sections isprovided with a separate water-supply from jets 10 10 on pipe 10,leading from pump 8.

The operation of the mechanism above described is as follows: Thematerial brought up by the excavating-buckets 3 is dumped into hopper 2,from which it is delivered upon the vibrating screens 4 4, where it issubjected to streams of water from pipes 9. Most of the fine materialcontaining the gold passes through the first few feet of the upperscreen, while the coarser tailings pass down the screens and are finallydischarged into hopper 6 and carried to the dump by conveyer 7. The finematerial falls upon the distributer in such a manner that substantiallyequal portions thereof are caught in the basins of the two upperpan-sections and the respective troughs f resting thereon. That caughtin the basins is washed out and falls upon the first series ofcollecting-tables, while that falling in the various troughs is carrieddown said troughs and discharged from the outlets f f thereof into thebasins of corresponding pan-sections a a, from which it is washed bywater from the nozzles 10 10 upon the subjacent tables 11. It will thusbe seen that each table receives a proportionate share of thegold-bearing material, and instead of the first tables being overloaded,while those later in the series receive little or no material, as is thecase when the old types of' distributers are employed, all of the tablesreceive equal amounts of the material from the distributer, so'that theoperation of separating and collecting the gold is carried on underconditions of greater efficieney and economy.

While the distributer has been described as applied to a fiatshaking-screen apparatus and a particular arrangement ofcollecting-table, it is to be understood that it is in no wise limitedto such application, as it is essentially a self' contained apparatusadapted to subserve the same function in connection with many otherforms of combined screening and concentrating machines.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In aconcentrating apparatus, the combination of a screen, a series ofcollecting-tables located below and arranged successively lengthwise thescreen, a distributer compris ing a series of independent pan-sectionssuccessively arranged and located between the screen and tables, and aplurality of independent troughs extending from the receiving end of thescreen lengthwise along the series of pans and tables, all of saidtroughs leading from a common receiving-point and delivering separatedportions of the material to separate pans at different distances fromsaid point.

2. In a concentrating apparatus, the combination of an inclined screen,a series of successively-arranged independent collecting-tables locatedbelow the screens and inclined laterally with respect thereto, and adistributer arranged intermediate the screen and tables, saiddistributer comprising a series of independent pan-sectionscorresponding to the collectingrtables beneath, a plurality ofindependent troughs located between the pans and the screen andextending from the upper end of the latter over and along the series ofpans, all of said troughs leading from a common receiving-point, andindividual troughs delivering to the several pans at different distancesfrom said point and from the upper end of the series.

3. A distributer for concentrating apparatus, comprising a series ofsuccessivelyarranged independent pan-sections, each provided with anoutlet, and a plurality of independent troughs extending lengthwise theseries of pans from a common receiving-point and delivering separatedportions of the material to the several pans at different points.

4:. A distributer for a concentrating apparatus, comprising a series ofindependent pansections arranged successively in stepped relation, andeach provided with an outlet, and a plurality of inclined independenttroughs overlying the pans and arranged lengthwise the series thereof,individual troughs delivering separated portions of the material toseparate pans at different points, and all the troughs extending from acommon receiving-point.

5. A distributer for concentrating apparatus, comprising a series ofindependent pansections arranged successively in stepped relation andeach having a central basin or depresclined laterally of the screen inopposite directions, and a series of independent pan-sections I 5successively arranged lengthwise and above the series of tables andcentrally with respect to individual tables, each pan having a centraldepression with discharge-outlets to a given pair of collecting-tables,and each pan having 20 also a separate water-supply.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR BUTLER PERRY.

Witnesses:

MAURICE E. GRIFFIN, GERTRUDE JOHNSON.

